Adventure in Halkeginia
by Mikossky
Summary: Instead of the average (too often below average) teen Saito, Louise summons an intelligent and competent young man as her familiar. When this man from modern times comes to live in Halkeginia, he will use his knowledge and set something into motion, a flood of changes, that will wash over the continent. Or he dies trying.


**Fantasy is practically based on the question: "What if?". So, here is my answer to the question: "What if, instead of the rather dump Saito, Louise summoned someone of at least average intellect or even a knowledgeable and highly intelligent individual?"**

**Still even fantasy follows some basic realism. For example, the Lagdorian Lake, which is shown on the maps to be half as big as the Grand duchy of Guldenhorf, which in turn is more or less as big as Luxemburg (~2,500 km2) can definitely not be as small as the lake shown in the anime. Because I like to keep such a basic realism, I will change a few things about Halkeginia, but I will try to keep as many things to the original lore of the world.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Familiar of Zero. I only own my story and my OC.**

* * *

'What in all Seven Hells is that?!'

That was the first question that ran through his mind as he saw the strange green portal on top of his bed, the glowing light drowning the room in this weird green color.

'Should I investigate it? But what if it is dangerous? If I tell anyone about it everyone will just think I am crazy and who knows how long it will even stay here…

I am going to research what is on the other side… but first, I must prepare myself!'

And so, the young man began his preparations. He dressed himself in a black t-shirt, camouflage pants and hoodie, with several pads and cushions in-between to keep him safe. He also used bracers, elbow- and kneepads and leg guards made of hard plastic and enforced with stainless steel and his black heavy steel toed boots He put on his wristwatch, a skateboard helmet over his hoodie, weighted-knuckle gloves and over all this his long black coat. To protect his face and head he wore a ski mask and his paintball mask, protecting his eyes, nose and mouth.

Now he needed to arm himself, so he took the 8 cartridges revolver he inherited from his grandfather, though not completely legally, from the secret place behind his bedrooms cupboard where he kept it and loaded the cartridges till the drum was full. Then he put the gun in a self-made holder on his leg where it was hidden by his coat, put additional 8 cartridges in one of his pockets and packed the rest of his 50 cartridges box in his backpack. At last he took a few packs of his stock of extra powerful firecrackers. Some came into his pockets, some were put into the backpack.

Next came the rest of the packing. Spare clothes, his bathroom items for travels, a few snacks, water bottles, a flashlights and spare batteries, spare lighters for the one he always had in his pockets, a second knife to the one he had, his emergency solar generator batterie and his mobile charger together with other possibly useful stuff like robes and household medications.

Last but not least where the exploring preparations. He tied a robe around his big and heavy wardrobe and his waist. Additionally, he made several pictures, notes and a video of the portal sent them to his parents and closest friends to tell them what was happening.

Finally, everything was ready for the adventure that may laid ahead. He got behind his bedroom door for cover and threw a plastic ball in the portal. The portal reacted strongly and began to expand quickly. He recorded it all and slowly, carefully got closer to the portal, hoping to get a view of the other side of the portal. But without a warning the strange green lashed out and captured his left arm. He tried to free himself, pull his arm out but the portal didn't let go. Instead it pulled him deeper in the portal. Before he was completely swallowed up by the strange green, he looked one last time into his camera before he threw it on his bed. That was the last he did before his adventure in another world started.

'This is the day.'

Louise could barely hold her emotions. She felt excited, since this was the day she could, no, would finally prove her worth as a mage and a noble. But she was also afraid of what would happen should she fail. She would disgrace herself and her family, she would be married of as a trophy wife or could even end up disowned and abandoned. And now she also felt embarrassed and angry thanks to the Zerbst cows newest teasing.

"_Just you watch! I will summon a divine, beautiful and powerful familiar that will be unmatched even with everyone else's familiars combined!"_

'Just why did I have to say that…' she asked herself but immediately knew the answer. This damn cow, Zerbst! Even at the beginning of the ceremony she had to taunt Louise again. And then she had the audacity to summon a salamander, a rare creature with strong fire.

"Miss Vallière is left." Of course, it had to be Kirche that brought her out of her musing.

"Then please step forward, Miss Vallière and summon your familiar," said Professor Colbert, the only teacher who hasn't given up on her yet. Now there was no way to hide, she had to step in the middle and try her best under the eyes of all her peers and their freshly summoned familiars. Cats, dogs and snakes as well as Guiche's big mole, Kirche's salamander and Tabitha's dragon stood around her. Naturally it would hurt her pride if she summoned something lesser than her rival Kirche but honestly, she would be happy to summon anything halfway decent, like a small dog, which she could at least cuddle with.

As soon as she stood there in the middle of her fellow young mages, she could already hear them mocking her. "It's Louise the Zero." "What is she going to summon?" "I'm sure nothing. There will be an explosion and that will be it." Kirche was louder than them all and directly addressing her while she was petting her salamanders head: "You said that you can summon something greater than this boy, right?"

Louise couldn't help herself and answered with the little confidence she could fake: "Naturally!" She clenched her wand with her right hand, murmured silently: "I beg you…" and spoke the spell.

"My servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe!" The other students reacted immediately at the uncommon wording, confused and some amused. "My divine, beautiful and powerful familiar! I wish and assert from the bottom of my heart, answer my guidance!" And when the last word was spoken an explosion followed and a strong one at that, blowing away some of the students and familiars to lay sprawled at the ground while the area was covered by smoke.

"Just what we expected from the Zero!" "Once a Zero always a Zero!" "Be more careful, you almost hurt my sweet Monmorency!" The last one came from Guiche before he noticed that the mentioned girl was attentively staring at the slowly lifting smoke screen. Louise stood up from the spot she had fallen on and together with Professor Colbert she looked at the creature she had summoned. And it was…

"A human?"

* * *

"For fuck's sake!" he groaned as he stood up from the ground, to find himself admits a smokescreen on a grass field. The portal his way back was nowhere to be seen. What he could see were several people and animals? surrounding him. The robe to connect him to his home was cut and he didn't recognize where he was or who these people in the strange uniforms with caps were.

The ones next to him were a pink haired girl and a bald man, probably the leader or teacher of these guys if he assumed that this castle-like place was some kind of school. The smoke lifted and he could get a good look on them and them on him. And soon some of them and then almost all of them started to laugh. That couldn't be a good sign, so he carefully reached for his gun to pull it and shoot a moment notice. He observantly watched their movements as the pink haired girl talked to the bald man, seemingly agitated over something, maybe him. Maybe the portal wasn't supposed to bring him here, maybe she was supposed to use the portal to bring something else here. But how did they open the portal in the first place? There didn't seem to be any big high-tech portal generators or any electricity around as far a he could see.

Then the girl turned to him, her expression being a mix of a frown and a glare. She said something in their strange French sounding language and came closer. That didn't sit right with him, her overall demeanor promised problems, so for every step she came closer he took a step back.

"Don't come too close, girl!" he shouted loud and clear and the girl stopped looking surprised.

"Albionese? And you're wearing armor parts. Are you perhaps a village or towns guard from Albion? If so, are you loyal to the royal family or…?"

"Whoa, pipe down, girl. First, where are we, what is this place, who are you and how and why did you bring me here?" he tried to be as calm and collected as he could, since falling to panic would only bring trouble.

"You cannot talk like that to a noble, commoner, show some obsequiousness and remove your mask. I am Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière third daughter of Centurion, Duc de la Vallière and you, commoner, are now my familiar!" She answered with an obnoxious arrogance.

"So, can someone answer the rest of my questions? Preferably someone less arrogant and annoying?" he shouted for everyone to hear. The short girl wanted to yell at him, but the laughter of her peers beat her to it. The big chested redhead loudly mocked the little pinky in their Frenchie language and the laughing grew stronger. I ignored them and turned to the bald man, who is most likely the leader of this cosplay class magician group. If this is another dimension or reality or something and they didn't have electric technology, every possibility left he could think of was some kind of magic or something similar unique to this strange place.

"So, mister…" "Oh, I am Professor Colbert, the teacher of this class." The man started but his voice told him that the bald man was weary of him. "We are in the Tristain Academy of Magic in the Kingdom of Tristain. You were summoned by Miss Vallière during the sacred Familiar Summoning Ceremony to become her trusted companion and protector."

"So, in less honey clad words, I was kidnapped by a self-important noble girl using magic to become her slave." He couldn't help but react like that, even if he shut have kept his opinion to himself. The confusion was getting to him.

"No, no, a familiar is not a slave." This got the others attention. They now looked at, in most cases slightly amused, the beginning discussion between the two men. "So, I can quit when I want?" "Well, no, a familiar contract is for life…" "But I have basic rights protecting me? "Nobles are told to take care of their familiars, since…" "So, a familiar is not even seen as a living being but as part of the property of their master. Be honest, that is how you would describe slavery, isn't it?"

"That is not important, commoner, you have no right to refuse!" butted this Vallière girl in.

"You're not helping your own case, kid. As far as I can see it you are a kidnapper, a criminal and an arrogant spoiled brat, so you better shut your mouth before I take out my gun and shoot you." He whispered harshly to the girl.

"You dare to threaten me familiar?!"

"I am not your familiar!"

"That is enough!" Professor Colbert interrupted the arguing "To everyone else, class is dismissed! Miss Vallière and Mister…" "Doe, John Doe." "and Mister Doe, please follow me to the headmaster's office, where we can calmly talk this situation out!"

None of the three said a word as we made our way up the stairs in the main tower. He took of his helmet and masks and put them on belt of his coat because it became too hot. The look inside this building made it completely clear that these people knew nothing about electricity. He was sure that this wasn't his world and that this magic fantasy backwater world would prove to be a difficult place with nobles oppressing everyone and bandits roaming the streets. Damn medieval ages…

Once they arrived at a large set of doors they stopped, Colbert knocked and then they entered the headmaster's office. It was a nice room, not the biggest office room he ever saw but big enough considering that he shared it with a green haired woman at a desk, who was probably his secretary. The headmaster himself sat at his own desk, he had white hair and a long white beard and was dressed in a black rope.

"Ah, Professor Collert, what brings you here today?" started the old man.

"It's Colbert, headmaster Osmond. I am here because something unusual happened during the Familiar Summoning Ceremony. Miss Vallière summoned a human, most likely from Albion." Colbert explained and the headmaster as well as his secretary perked up.

"Then I am assuming the human in question is the young man standing next to Miss Vallière, right?"

"That is correct, headmaster. His name is John Doe."

The old headmaster looked at Him and began rubbing his beard while thinking. A short moment later he spoke up: "Mister Doe, I am sorry to say this but there is no way to send you back to Albion, since the Familiar Summoning Ceremony cannot be undone. You will have to become Miss Vallière's familiar."

"Dear headmaster, though I do understand that you sadly cannot send me back by magical means, I am afraid I have to reject the position of a slave and try not to convince me that being kidnapped and getting forced to work for a master without rights or compensation would be anything else." He took on a serious but collected tone.

"I see your point, Kidnapping and Slavery are indeed serious crimes that only the accusation of could bring trouble and a long-lasting blow to Miss Vallière's and this Academy's reputation and all second-year students are required to summon a familiar. That is a complicated situation." The headmaster seemed deep in thoughts again but was swiftly brought back when He started to talk with his smoothing but serious voice and a slight smirk on his face:

"I believe I can offer a solution to this problem. There isn't much that binds me to my old home, so I would be willing to take up a new employment. At least if certain conditions are met."

"Commoner, you are to do as you are told!" Interrupted the little girl, reminding everyone of her presence as well as her immature lack of decency. He just turns his head in her direction and looks with a hard look into her eyes. "You, are at the verge of becoming a lowly criminal but offered generous leniency, so do not dare to interrupt the grown-ups talk any further!" His strong words shocked her which was enough to continue the important conversation. "Let us continue where we stopped."

"Yes, Mister Doe, you were talking about conditions. What would these conditions look like?" asked the headmaster, also shocked about the harsh tone and the way He used to scold the girl.

"Well, first of I am to be considered a human, not a mindless pet creature like other familiars. I will be seen and treated as Miss Vallière's partner and protector, fitting to the description of familiars Professor Colbert gave me. I am not a servant! Next condition would be about my living standards. That means a proper bed to sleep, my own room at best, three meals a day, which are up to my standards, as well as a monthly salary."

"The accommodation and the meals can be provided by the Academy. We will arrange for a bedroom next to Miss Vallière's and you can join the meals of the student body with Miss Vallière. But the salary cannot be provided by the Academy." The headmaster told him surprisingly compliant. He must hope that meeting these conditions will save the Academy and his student from future trouble.

He again turned to the short pink haired and spoke: "I assume students from powerful families like the family of Duke de la Vallière are giving a regular money supply. I am ready to settle for a third of it."

"You presumptuous…" the girl was a step away from erupting in anger like a volcano, but He knew how to distract her mind from her temper. He quickly closed the distance between their faces till their eyes were mere centimeters apart and with a face that his confident dominance over the situation He whispered loudly: "Unless, the proud daughter of the Vallière family has no need for a familiar." That got her mind running. From what He heard until now He deduced that since second-years are obligated to have a familiar she would either have to repeat a year, what would be a big faux pas or she would have to overall leave the academy, if she couldn't get a familiar.

"And if I meet these conditions, to pay you a third of my monthly allowance and take care of the accommodation and catering when we are outside of the academy you will become my loyal familiar?" The girl asked unusual meekly and unsure.

"Don't forget the first condition of treating me like a human partner instead of a pet or a servant, but if you vow to meet my conditions, if you vow by your name, honor and life, I will in turn vow to be your familiar." He answered with an encouraging smile on his face. The girl was obviously inclined with his offer and didn't need to think long about it before she answered:

"I, Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière third daughter of Centurion, Duc de la Vallière, hereby swear to meet the aforementioned conditions by my name, honor and life."

"I, John Doe, hereby swear to be a loyal familiar, partner and protector for Lu Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière third daughter of Centurion, Duc de la Vallière by my name, honor and life."

"Good, you may continue with the Ceremony. Miss Vallière it is time for the Familiar Binding Spell. Mister Doe, the familiar runes will now be engraved and that might hurt a bit." Said Professor Colbert.

Louise pulled out her wand, spoke a few words in her language, went on her toes and pulled His head down till their lips met for a short sweet peck. He immediately felt the heat on his left hand and removed his glove to see the runes getting engraved. It hurt a lot, but he knew about it and had to pull through to not show the pain to the other occupants of the room.

After a few moments that felt longer to him than they actually were the pain subsided and he could concentrate on his surroundings again. They were watching him, all slightly surprised. They must have expected a stronger reaction to the pain. Colbert was the first to shift his view on the familiar runes, that appeared to be northern runes.

"I would like to make a copy of the runes for my researches." Said Colbert while he pulled a piece of paper and a little coal out of his shoulder bag. The man known as John merely nodded and held his left out for Colbert to better look at it. He had to suppress his shaking, a lingering aftereffect of the pain.

After he composed himself again and Colbert was finished writing down the runes, He told Colbert again with his calm, smoothing and friendly voice:

"I hope you wouldn't mind telling me what your researches have resulted in, as soon as you find anything interesting about the runes resting on my hand."

"Of course not." Answered Professor Colbert with a smile, seemingly intrigued that someone took an interest in his researches even if for a selfish reason. "But tell me, how come you speak Tristanian now?"

He didn't know an answer but following his own idea He stared at his runes in curiosity.

"Naturally, the familiar runes must have given you a language comprehension ability." Deducted Professor Colbert.

"That will certainly prove to be useful. Now I have to wonder if it works on written language just as well."

They amused the thought in their minds, but He interrupted them just as fast again.

"Well that will have to wait for now. The sun is already setting, and it was a tiring day. I assume you will need time to prepare the room?"

"Yes, I am afraid so. You will have to sleep inside of Miss Vallière's room for tonight, but I have to warn you not to conduct any form of indecency." Answered the Old Osmund and Louise's checks reddened.

"You do not have to worry about that, you have my word, as John Doe." He said with a charming smile.

* * *

"What do you think Professor Colbert?" Asked Osmund after the pair of Master and Familiar walked out to Louise's room.

"He is interesting, but he is dangerous. The way he could handle Miss Vallière despite her pride…" Mentioned Colbert.

"He has a way with words." Said Miss Longueville.

"Yes, and he quickly got over the shock of being summoned to another kingdom as the familiar of a foreign noble. And that Louise summoned a human is something unheard of before." Added Colbert

"I think it would be best if we keep an eye on them." Finished Old Osmund the dialog.

* * *

Meanwhile Louise and her new familiar made their way to her room. They didn't talk until they were inside and the doors where closed. To break the uncomfortable silence, He looked at the straw beside Louise's bed and spoke:

"You expected something of pet size, right?" He got Louise's attention, though he left her no time to react before continuing. "One of your classmates summoned something rather big and blue, is it that rare or did you just want to be prepared for all eventualities?"

"I… of course I hoped for something big and powerful, but I would have been glad to summon something normal too, but now I got you…"

"I understand that I am not what you expected, and I didn't expect to be summoned to a foreign place with no way back. In the end none of us can change anything about it, so we have to make the best out of it."

"The best? What good could we make out of this mess?!"

"Well, for starters as a noble you will most likely have to deal with assassination and kidnapping attempts from political rivals and ransom seekers for all of your life, a bodyguard you can trust is a valuable asset for your own safety. Beside that I am also experienced and quite knowledgeable about, politics, economy and administration, so I can give council to you if you come to a title and land to govern. And last but not least it cannot be bad to have an additional friend to talk to when you have a personal problem."

"Friend, huh?" She seemed to be contemplating his words but looked a lot more hopeful and happier than earlier. "I suppose you are right, having a human like you as a familiar might not be as bad as I thought but how in Brimir's name did you come to be knowledgeable about politics and the like? Aren't you a simple towns guard from Albion or something alike?"

"Well I worked with a few politicians and traders where I come from and no I am not from Albion. I am from a far away place that you probably never heard about before. I learned Albionese from a trader I worked with for a time and after I heard you speaking Tristanian I thought that you might understand me if I talk Albionese. After all I couldn't speak Tristanian before I got the familiar runes."

"A far away place… are perhaps from Rub' al Khali?" She asked with interest and slight excitement in her voice and face.

"So, you did hear about it." He answered with his charming smile.

"Well not much. I only heard that there is a country of humans even beyond the eastern end of the great Sahara Desert and it shares a border with the southeastern part of Germania but nothing much of your country is known here in Halkeginia. I didn't even know that albionese traders travelled so far."

"Traders often guard their trade routes to secure their monopoly over exotic and precious goods or to keep themselves safe from planned pirate attacks. Well, as you can probably already guess, we in Rub' al Khali don't know very much about Halkeginia too. I, myself only know some basics from the traders so I hope you don't mind if I ask you a few questions about Halkeginia, especially Tristain."

"Sure, I don't mind enlightening you with my knowledge." She said and a smug grin showed itself for a moment but quickly gave way to an adorable yawn that Louise failed to suppress. The day must have been more tiring for her than He thought.

"I am quite tired and would like to go to sleep now."

"Yes, I'm tired too… Well, uh, I don't have a sleeping place for you, beside the straw…" replied Louise.

"Thanks, but I just sleep with my back to the wall over there." He gestured to the wall next to her wardrobe where he could watch the window, the door and her bed.

"Sure, I wish to undress now." He looked at her with a questioning gaze, waiting for her to elaborate and she seemed unsure if she wanted him to undress her like she would expect of a commoner servant or if she wanted him to leave the room. After a short minute she decided for the later and politely asked him to leave for a moment. Afterwards when he was back and got a blanket from Louise, they both went to sleep and bid goodbye to this crazy day.


End file.
